I had just completed my 5km run a moment ago. Somehow, this run was a bit rough as I felt a little slow but nevertheless, I finished it. And it is often when I am running, creative ideas about my work, health, family, kids, etc that lingers on my mind came to me.

Running may be a physical activity to stay healthy and fit but mentally, it also serves as a stress relief to me as well. When the mind is relaxed, ideas flow easily as the mind is unblock from thinking too hard about the problems. It also humbles me and serves as a lesson that I must continue my run, no matter what. Seeing many around me with tummy protruding out, national statistics show diabetes rate on the increase,etc - it puts me on high alert that I must not rest on my laurels but stay on the course.

To serve God, it is important that I maintain my health, both physically and mentally. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.John 1.2

We are wonderfully made by God and if we are to serve Lord and do his work, we must ensure we have a healthy body. Thus, it is important to watch what we eat, putting in rubbish and junk food in our body is not only unwise but a path that is destine to go to waste.

Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.Genesis 1.29-30

This debate about whether we humans should eat meat has been ongoing for years. I do not know but ever since I quit eating it, I felt my a change in my body. My diet now consists mainly of starch like sweet potato, beancurd, lots of vegetables and fish and fruits. Some may say it is limited but I am contented with the myriad of choices available already.

I think too may of us have acidic diet with too much fast food, junk food, sugary food in our body accumulated over the years. It is no wonder lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are on the increase. Would it not be sad to spend one's golden years with drips or wheelchairs ? I have seen more elderly who suffered from diabetes and had their legs amputated and are on wheelchair. It must be hard for them to spend their golden years like that.

Many of these diseases can be prevented if we take a little time and be conscious of what we put into our body. And if our body is the temple of Christ, it makes sense to feed it with the best (not the most expensive) food. To me, the best food means what the body needs naturally in terms of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

And if we go back to our forefathers day where cupcakes and fast food were non existent, cancer was hardly heard of. As we progress in society, why then are we degrading in this area? Worse, our life expectancy seems to get longer and it is crucial that we see to it that our future is spent on things we enjoy doing with our partner/family and friends.

Begin now, gradually to start a simple exercise program. Take a 20 minutes walk or take that flight of stairs instead of the lift. Alight one stop earlier from your desired destination and take that walk. Have more portion of vegetables and keep your meat intake less frequent and lesser amount. Have enough rest, there is no need to accompany the laptop , mobile devices 7/24. They are not human but we are. And we need ample rest to recuperate, to repair our body.

Then, we can go out to the world and do God's work and not be affected by all these problems, bringing more joy and support to others!

​Yesterday evening after returning from the beach, I was quite tired after being in the hot sun for several hours. But my son said he wanted to go running. I was pleasantly surprised but decided to go with him. My daughter, being the sporty type decide to tag along with her scooter bike. One round the park was 1km. So he ran 2 rounds with rest intervals in between. I was very happy as he was the one who initiated the idea. I remembered praying to God sometime back and said it would be nice if he can come running with me someday. On some weekends when we stay indoors, he pretty much like to watch TV and playing games on the mobile phones.Many a times, I asked him to go running with me, he turned me down. So, I prayed. It was more of a casual thought than a prayer, I think. God must have heard it and decide to fulfil my wishes. Thank you Lord, once more !

As a father yourself, you knew how much loved the son(me) would have felt with the encouragement and support of his own dad(GOD). So I think it is important to pass it on rather than using short term methods to motivate him(my son). As humans, we are resistant to change and as an adult, I should know better. So how come when come to my own children, my expectations is different?

Father, forgive me for I had good intentions but my methods of bringing across the message was wrong and inappropriate. Nature has a way to bring out a person as I could see how much he truly enjoyed with the sister and friend at the beach. Kids are so innocent and a joy to watch them play. They were picking up sticks and branches and drawing on the sand, running to the sea to dip their legs and running freely on the beach. Nothing in particular but you can hear their joyful laughter and energy. It is a beautiful sight.

Maybe, we adults (me) are too serious and should exchange roles with the kids instead. We think too much, fearful of how others would think of us if we do this or that unlike them. They just let it go. We too must learn not to hold on too tightly like the sand in the hand else it hurts. With open hands, we can gather more sand in our palms than closing it so it is the same with our mind. I need to constantly remind myself to keep an open mind and be more patient and participate more in life rather than be a spectator.

Father, you have a way to educate me from the simple things in the Nature without me spending lots of money in classroom and using big concepts and words. I thank you for your time and patience and love towards me.

I hesitated this morning on my way sending my daughter to school. I was thinking of going for a run but I have to conduct a training this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow, what if ...............or should I ????? Thoughts like this wandered through my mind without much action.

So, upon reaching home, I quickly grab my swimming attire and in less than 10 minutes, I am already dipped into the pool and heading for a 20 laps swim. The water was not as cold as I thought. The swim was also smoother than I feared (somedays I struggled to complete). Somehow, I would compare running with swimming, both exercises that I like but tend to give more time to running. Reason? Well, running on the road provides me with the scenery (although it is the same after a while) and thus I like to run different routes to stimulate my mind. Swimming in the pool , lap after lap , to me require more discipline and effort. Beside stopping at the side to adjust my goggles, if necessary, I am basically going round and round , lap after lap till I am done. The inner conversation I had when I am swimming differs from when I am on the road running. Each traffic light, I had to stop for a minute or two, allowing me to catch my breath and pause.

Swimming, I do not have the luxury.

If I continue to stay put and think of should I go run or swim this morning at the doorstep, I probably would end up staying at home. It so happened I am now reading Results by Jamie Smart , an interesting book. Action provides direct feedback while theories in the head remain where it is. Hmm, I have build a habit for that in my running. I could get out of the house automatically when days where I feel lethargic and do not want to exercise. I guess I have to switch running to swimming as well.

One compelling reason for me to take action or motivates me was my goal - to attend my kids and their children wedding, a tall order for most people. In order to achieve that, I need to ensure my body is at its best, both physically and mentally. I allow the goal to come alive in my present thought, imagine what it would be like when that day becomes today. What would I be wearing? What would I say when asked to give a speech? Who is around me at that time?

According to NG, it is loyalty to the unseen that makes our reality. That means staying on the journey, no matter what happens and that requires a lot of discipline and resilience. Assumption (living to age 120) when persisted (loyal and keep on going on) will harden into facts (the reality).